


Welcome to Astral

by written_in_starlight



Series: The Astral Chronicles [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23115730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/written_in_starlight/pseuds/written_in_starlight
Summary: Aiden wakes up alone, in the middle of unfamiliar woods, with no idea how he got there or just how long he's been unconscious. The last thing he remembers is Christmas afternoon, and wherever he is, it's springtime. What Aiden does know is that he has to find help, because he'll never find his way home on his own.It's supposed to be routine. Slip in, split up, buy supplies, leave without much of a trace. But of course, things never go to plan. By now, something going wrong or Rose launching a rescue mission is just as routine as the rest of their trips to town. But even this one is different. Will knows, and Rose is determined to find out what exactly is so special about this boy.
Series: The Astral Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468171
Comments: 6
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Aiden came to with a start, an uneasy feeling of _something’s not right_ settling in his throat. As he sat up and looked around, the feeling only intensified.

He was still in the woods, but there ended any sort of similarity. Gone was the hill he had fallen down, gone was the arch he had found, gone was the _snow_. It appeared to be late spring where he was, trees and flowers just starting to bloom, a stream bubbling along somewhere just out of sight.

Aiden got to his feet, shedding his jacket. “James?” His voice cut through the soft forest noises. “Summer?” He turned, searching for some semblance of familiarity. “Guys?” But the hill was gone. Aiden had no idea where, or _when_ he was. “James!”

Aiden dragged his hands through his hair, only to be startled as he felt something sharp scraping his scalp. Aiden stared at his hands. Embedded in his left palm was the crystal pendant he had gotten from James.

“Fuck!” Aiden fell to his knees, trying to pry the crystal out of his skin, only to yelp in pain. It was firmly stuck there. And the more Aiden thought about it, the more he realized it was probably for the best. He was lost on his own, with no idea how to get home, and adding a gaping hole in his palm probably wouldn’t help.

“Okay.” Aiden sat back on his heels and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. “I am _so_ very far from home right now. How did I—No.” Aiden shook his head. “No, no, that’s not important right now. I have to find a way home.”

Aiden had left his phone inside James’s house, but he still did a cursory pat down of all his pockets, just to double check.

“Okay. Okay okay.” Aiden took a deep breath. “People. Then I can call home and figure out more from there. Okay.”

Aiden could follow the stream so he wouldn’t get any more lost, and hopefully he would find civilization soon. He had to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe if I start posting it, I can actually finish this lol. I also swear the later chapters are better, I'm just not super good at the unfortunately necessary scenes of characters waking up alone and confused rip


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight when they were in towns was always Rose’s favorite time. While darkness fell outside, the streets would slowly light up, chasing the dark away. For a moment at least, it felt like everything would be all right.

“Now remember,” Ashe said from inside the room. “Just because we’re in town for the night doesn’t mean—”

“We can let our guard down,” the four teens chorused. Finn sat next to Rose in the window and made a show of over exaggeratedly rolling his eyes behind Ashe’s back. Rose stifled a laugh.

“And yet somehow, despite my warnings, you four still manage to find trouble,” Ashe said, his eyes narrowed.

“Usually with good cause,” Rose quipped.

“Stay out of trouble,” Ashe said. “We just have to keep our heads down until we finish getting supplies tomorrow, and then we’ll be gone again.”

“So just one night in town?” Jared asked.

“With your track record? I wish we could have managed zero nights in town.”

Will coughed, and Jared shot him a look. “Oh, don’t side with Ashe here.”

Will just smirked. Jared hissed something to his twin in their native language.

“Moral of the story is,” Ashe started.

“The usual deal. Keep our heads down and noses clean, and don’t draw attention to ourselves,” Rose finished. “We know Ashe.”

“Good. Then I expect there to be no trouble tomorrow.”

“Yes Ashe.”

Ashe nodded, apparently satisfied by their response. “Get some rest.”

He left the room, and the three boys immediately turned to Rose.

“So what’s the plan?” Jared asked with a grin.

Rose shook her head with a smile. “Like Ashe said. Keep our heads down and don’t call attention. At least, until we hear otherwise.”

“That’s my Rose.” Finn ruffled her hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Night was starting to fall. So far, the only signs of life Aiden had seen was the occasional wildlife around the stream that darted off when Aiden drew too close. But no people, no way to find his way home, and slowly but surely, no hope. Aiden knew he needed to find a place to spend the night, but the trees were too dark and creepy for him to feel comfortable, no matter how much time he’d already spent in these woods relatively unharmed.

As he was starting to resign himself to the thought of spending the night in a tree, Aiden saw a break in the trees. Barely daring to hope, Aiden sped up and broke free from the trees.

The stream he’d been following emptied into a river, and nestled in a curve of said river was a town. Aiden let out a soft curse of relief, hurrying down the river. Things were finally starting to look up.

As Aiden approached the town though, a voice rang out. “Stop right there!”

Aiden stopped dead in his tracks.

“What are you doing wandering around so close to dark?”

“I’m lost and looking for my way home.”

“And where might home be?”

Aiden didn’t know where he was, and he didn’t want to risk getting too specific and confusing people, so he answered, “Minnesota, United States.”

There was a long pause, and Aiden thought he could hear hushed voices, but he didn’t move, hoping that home was within his grasp.

After what felt like forever, a man appeared from the nearby building. “Do you have any weapons?”

“No.”

“Good.” The man approached. “Come with me. We’ll get you where you belong tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Aiden followed without question. He could wait another night, knowing he would be going home tomorrow.

As they walked through the sleepy town, Aiden felt like something was _off_ , though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. Soon enough, the man lead Aiden into a building. Once inside, Aiden realized it was some sort of bar, the place rowdy and cheerful as night fell. But as people caught sight of Aiden and his escort, the chatter slowly died, especially as they made their way to the bar.

The man spoke lowly to the bartender, but Aiden couldn’t catch a word. He didn’t know why everybody kept _staring_ at him.

“Well!”

Aiden started, whirling around to face the woman speaking to him.

“From what I hear, we’ll be taking care of you for tonight. I’m Ilia,” the woman said.

“Aiden,” Aiden introduced himself.

“Come along dear,” Ilia said, leading Aiden through the crowds. “I’d imagine you’re quite hungry and tired, if you’ve been lost.”

Aiden’s stomach growled, audible even over the din, and Ilia laughed. “Alright dear, you just settle in here. I’ll bring you some food right quick and then we’ll get you settled for the night.”

“Um, Ilia,” Aiden hesitated. “Would there be any way for me to contact my family? Just so they know I’m alright?”

Ilia’s gaze softened. “I’m sorry dear, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t know. You’ll just have to wait for tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Aiden settled into the chair Ilia had pulled out for him, his head spinning. Now that he was somewhere relatively safe, all of the questions he had pushed aside were catching up to him. Where exactly was he, how had he gotten there, and _what happened_ during the few months Aiden didn’t remember?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we finally start getting long boi chapters lol

Rose trailed behind Ashe, giving him the cursory half-attention she usually did while listening around for gossip. And Miro had exploded with rumors overnight. Rumors of a strange boy who’d arrived late last night, who was lost, who had somehow attracted _Maddox’s_ attention. Rose shivered at the name when she heard it whispered.

Once she had enough information, Rose waited until Ashe was moving to the next stall to tug on his sleeve. Ashe turned to her.

“I want to go find the boys.”

“Rose—”

“I’ll stay out of trouble,” Rose promised. “But you know the boys. Gotta make sure they’re actually staying on track, eh?”

Ashe sighed. “Very well. Stay safe Rose.”

“Will do.” Rose gave him a casual salute, then turned and disappeared into the crowded market.

She found the boys in the mouth of an alleyway, obviously waiting for her.

“Ashe will know if you haven’t completed your half of the list,” Rose said, making quick work of distributing her load amongst the three boys.

“And we don’t take the time to prattle on about the weather,” Finn said with a grin, flashing Rose a glimpse of their mostly-crossed-out list.

Rose nodded. “Good. You’ve heard then?”

“Yeah. Kid’s apparently staying at the Silver Fish.”

Rose nodded again.

“What’s the plan?” Jared asked.

“The usual,” Rose said. “I’ll go and see if I can’t use my influence to sneak him out before its too late.”

“And if you can’t?” Jared asked.

“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Rose said. “Maddox’s soldiers will have to use the ferry to take him back to Silvervale.”

“We’ll discuss that if it comes to it,” Finn said. “Will you be okay if you don’t go back to Ashe?”

“We’ll tell him something like you needed me to keep you all on track.”

Finn nodded. “Be safe Rose.”

“I always am.” Rose gave her oldest friend a gentle smile. “See you soon. Rendezvous at the ferry like planned?”

“At that bar, River’s Delight, just a few streets away, and a little bit before we meet up with Ashe again,” Jared said. “That way we can pretend you’ve been with us the whole time.”

“Alright,” Rose agreed. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

Finn nodded and Jared gave her a salute, but as Rose slipped out of the alleyway, Will was right on her heels.

“Need to stay with me?” Rose asked in an undertone.

Will nodded.

Rose didn’t bother pressing further. Will would give up his knowledge in time.

The two made their way out of the crowded market, towards the Silver Fish. At this time of day, during the market, the inn was nearly deserted. Rose and Will didn’t draw many eyes though, the patrons that remained too lost in their own thoughts or drinks to pay newcomers much mind.

As they sat at the bar, the barkeep turned to them. “And how may I help you today—”

Rose pulled down her hood.

“Ah. Rose Byrne. Your reputation precedes you.”

“I hope only good things,” Rose said lightly.

“Well. How may I help you today?” The barkeep leaned against the counter.

“I was hoping you could help me out?” Rose casually suggested.

“If it’s anything to do with that boy, I’m sorry, but no can do.” The barkeep shook his head. “Maddox already knows he’s here. If anything were to happen to him, it would be on my head.”

Rose sighed. “Alright. I can’t very well ask you to endanger yourself. But can I ask for some information?”

The barkeep sighed. “Make it quick.”

“Why does Maddox want him?” Rose asked.

“According to Kinan, the guard who brought him in, every soldier is told that if they come across anybody from some strange sounding place, that Maddox is to be informed immediately. That’s all I know.”

Rose nodded slowly. “And when will his men be here for the boy?”

“Kinan said after nightfall,” the barkeep said lowly. “Minimal panic, if he’s taken out in the dead of night.”

“And how many in his guard?” 

“I didn’t ask,” the barkeep said uneasily. “But from the sounds of it, it should be small. The boy doesn’t seem the type to fight.”

Rose nodded. Small was doable, especially with the element of surprise. “Thank you.”

“Anything else I can help with?”

Rose shook her head, starting to stand. “Just here for information, thanks. But here.” Rose fished in her pockets and laid some money on the counter. “For your information. And your silence.”

The barkeep nodded. “Stay safe out there,” he warned. “The world only seems to be getting more dangerous.”

“It does seem that way,” Rose sighed.

A sharp gasp from Will drew Rose’s attention. She glanced at him, then followed his wide-eyed gaze to the corner.

A boy sat there, talking with an older lady who was likely the barkeeper’s wife. For a moment, his eyes flicked up, and Rose found herself staring into blue and gold eyes. The boy tilted his head at her, but quickly turned back to the lady as she spoke to him.

Rose took Will by the arm and led him out of the inn. “You know something about him,” she said lowly to him.

Will nodded.

“Okay. When we meet back up with the others then.”

Will nodded again, and the two of them hurried to find Finn and Jared again.


	5. Chapter 5

The bar was slowly starting to empty out again. Aiden had had an uneasy feeling ever since he’d woken up in the woods, and despite how warm and safe it was here, the feeling just kept getting worse.

As the bar quieted down, Ilia resumed her spot across from Aiden. “Well, that’s the big rush over with,” she said with a smile.

“Ilia,” Aiden said quietly. “Do you know anything about what’s happening?”

“Just relax dear.” Ilia patted his hand gently. “You’ll be where you belong before too long.”

The door opened, and Aiden and Ilia glanced around as a man entered.

“I’ll be right back,” Ilia said, standing with another smile before hurrying off to the bar.

Aiden sighed, sitting back and futilely checking his pockets yet again. No phone, no way to reassure his family he was _alive_. No way to figure out for himself how he’d gotten into this _mess_ of a situation. And Ilia really was kind, but Aiden couldn’t help the sick feeling of dread rising in his throat, the feeling that something was _wrong_ here. The more Aiden sat here, the more questions he had, and the answers seemed to be hiding out of reach.

Ilia returned, the newcomer in tow. “Here you are,” she said to him.

The man glanced at Aiden. “Come with me,” he said gruffly.

Aiden hesitantly stood, gathering up his coat.

“It’ll be alright,” Ilia said with a gentle smile. Aiden shot her a grateful smile as he followed the man out of the bar.

As they made their way through the dark streets, Aiden felt his unease growing. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t ask questions.”

Aiden stopped short. Something wasn’t right. “So I’m just supposed to blindly follow you into the night?” he asked. “I don’t even know who you are!”

“Keep quiet.”

“Not until you answer me—Hey!”

The man grabbed Aiden’s arm.

“Let go!” Aiden struggled against his grip, only for the man to pull him close and cover his mouth.

“Keep quiet,” he hissed. “Don’t want to start a panic, now do you?”

Aiden debated biting him for a second, but the man was wearing gloves, and the action would probably be ultimately futile. Aiden settled for tilting his head back as far as he could to glare at the man.

“Keep walking. I’ll drag you if you try anything.”

Aiden didn’t doubt him, and so reluctantly kept following. The hand over his mouth quickly became annoying, but try as he might, Aiden couldn’t dislodge the man’s grip.

Before too long, they reached the edge of town, and the shores of the river. The only light came from a lantern hanging from a post, illuminating a figure on the shore. Aiden started to struggle again, hoping they could help, but the man holding him kicked his legs out from under him and dragged Aiden.

“It’s about time,” the figure said as they approached.

“Keep your mouth shut,” the man growled.

Aiden tried to catch the figure’s eye, tried to convey somehow that he needed _help_ , but they turned away and led the way onto a raft drifting just off the shore. Aiden was shoved onto the raft, the man following him, and the figure quickly untied them from shore and started for the other side. As they approached, Aiden saw lights that slowly formed into a small group of people, the light coming from torches held among them.

The raft bumped gently into the opposite shore, and Aiden was unceremoniously dragged from the raft and through the group. He heard a few quiet murmurs, but he didn’t get the chance to listen closer before he was yanked into a wagon. It was then that the man finally let go of him.

“What the hell—”

The man had turned away for a brief moment, and when he turned back he grabbed Aiden again, shoving a cloth in his mouth. Aiden spluttered, trying to spit it out, but another strip was tied around his mouth to ensure the gag wouldn’t fall out. Aiden’s arms were then yanked behind his back, and Aiden felt cold metal snap around his wrists.

“Now just sit tight and don’t try to struggle.” The man pushed Aiden to the floor. “There’s no way for you to escape, and nowhere for you to go. If you’re good, we’ll release you for a bit before bedtime.”

Aiden glared up at the man, but he appeared unaffected by it as he turned and hopped out of the wagon, the cloth falling back into place behind him. Aiden heard shouting outside the wagon, and he saw the torchlight dancing back and forth on the cloth walls, but nobody appeared to be coming to check on him.

Aiden carefully shifted, trying to catch his sweatshirt pocket with his bound hands. He had no intention of just sitting back and going quietly to wherever they were taking him. His fingers caught his pocket, and Aiden hissed a muffled cheer, digging through his pocket. He may not have his phone, but this just so happened to be the sweatshirt he had been wearing the last day of school, complete with pockets that hadn’t been emptied of his lockpicking tools. And while Aiden had never tried to escape from handcuffs before, and he was going to have a _bitch_ of a time with both hands tied behind his back, he knew it had to be somehow possible.

What he would do once he was uncuffed, Aiden didn’t know. He was just trying to handle this situation one step at a time.


	6. Chapter 6

The branches rustled, and Rose and Finn tensed, scanning the surrounding area warily. Only Will remained relaxed, and as she saw his lack of concern, Rose allowed herself to relax slightly.

After a moment, Jared appeared from the shadows. “You were right,” he said in a low voice to Rose. “They took the ferry over.”

“And heading east?”

Jared nodded. “They only sent one man in to collect him, so they were still getting collected and ready to go when I slipped away. It’s a relatively small group, maybe ten soldiers. The kid is in the only wagon. Covered.”

“Keeping him hidden,” Rose nodded. “Do you know how far they’ll go tonight?”

“I overheard the leader saying they wanted to make it as far as when the road splits from the river before stopping for the night,” Jared replied.

“Good.” That would lead them right past their group. “How much time do we have?”

“Maybe an hour or so. They got quite comfortable for only resting for twenty minutes at most.”

Finn snorted.

“And I move faster than they will, with ten men and a wagon,” Jared finished.

“Alright,” Rose said. “You remember that section of the road where the bank overhangs?”

The boys nodded.

“We’ll mount our siege there. It’ll be easy to take them by surprise, and it wasn’t too far after there that we abandoned the road, so it’ll be a relatively easy escape.”

“I can attack from the river,” Jared said, glancing at Finn. “It’s shallow enough there. You can surprise them from the embankment?”

Finn nodded.

“I’ll come from the embankment like Finn, and if the river is shallow enough to fully cross Will can cover us from the other shore,” Rose decided. “Unless…” She hesitated, glancing at the dark-haired boy, but Will shook his head. He had no special insight, so he would follow Rose’s plan.

“Okay.” Rose nodded. “We’ll go on your signal Jared?”

“Sounds good.”

“Alright then.” Rose stretched. “Let’s get in place then, before they arrive.”

The boys murmured their agreement, following Rose as she set out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be sporadic soon. Sudden packing and driving 800 miles is surprisingly unconducive to writing lol. Which is upsetting bc I have like three chapters left on this. Rip me


	7. Chapter 7

Aiden’s wrists ached from straining against the cuffs for so long, but he had already heard a click from the handcuffs, a sign he was probably on the right track.

As Aiden twisted the pick in the lock, he was startled by a flash of light, quickly followed by a crack that sounded like thunder. Aiden yelped, nearly losing his grip on his pick as he jumped. The yelling that started up outside the wagon indicated that whatever had happened, it was something worse than thunder.

Aiden closed his eyes, closing trembling fingers over his pick as he tried to calm his racing heartbeat. The gag was making it hard to breathe in his panic. _But it wasn’t thunder. Come on. I have to escape to see James again._

Aiden pressed his fingers to the pendant in his palm. _For James._

Once he was sure his fingers were steady again, Aiden returned to picking the lock. It wasn’t long before there was another click, and Aiden felt the metal release one of his wrists. Aiden immediately tore the gag out of his mouth, greedily gasping for air and spitting the taste of cloth from his tongue.

Before he had a chance to do much else, a dark figure ducked into the wagon. Aiden scrambled to his feet, shoving his tools back into his pocket.

To his surprise, the figure removed their hood to reveal a girl around Aiden’s age, the same one he’d noticed in the bar earlier that day.

“Huh.” The girl tilted her head. “I thought they would have tied you up back here.”

Aiden raised his still-cuffed wrist, and in the low light he saw the girl’s eyes widened.

“Huh.” She shook her head. “Ugh, no time for that now. My name is Rose Byrne. As you can probably guess, I’m here to rescue you.”

“What’s going on?” Aiden asked.

“I promise I’ll answer your questions when we’re safe. Will you trust me?”

“What choice do I have?” Aiden asked.

“You could always stay here, a prisoner.” Rose gave him a wry smile. “But something tells me you don’t like that idea.”

Aiden still hesitated. He had trusted Ilia and whoever else had promised to help him in town, and that led to him being cuffed and gagged, transported to who knows where.

“Look, let’s get you to safety,” Rose said. “Then, if you really want, we’ll let you go off on your own.”

“Can you help me get home?”

“I can’t promise anything, but we’ll try.”

Aiden made his decision. “Okay. Let’s go.” He gathered his coat that he’d dropped when he’d been cuffed.

Rose nodded, pulling up her hood again. “You might want to cover up. Just so they’ll have a harder time seeing you escape.”

Aiden nodded, pulling up his sweatshirt hood.

“Try to stay close,” Rose warned.

“Okay.”

Rose turned and hopped out of the wagon, and Aiden followed. The first thing he noticed was smoke curling through the air, the scent strong and acrid. But Rose was already taking off, and Aiden had to run to keep up.

Once they’d gotten a ways away, Aiden was startled at what sounded like an explosion behind him. Despite Rose’s warnings, he turned to find the wagon in flames.

Aiden blanched.

“Don’t worry, that’s us.” Rose grabbed his elbow. “To cover up your escape.”

Aiden nodded and stumbled along behind Rose as they continued further down the road. Beside them, the overhanging bank receded and shortened, until Rose tugged Aiden off the road.

“Come on. We’ll get a little ways into the woods and then we can stop for a bit.”

Aiden nodded, saving his breath for running. Now that they were under the cover of the trees though, Rose slowed her pace, still hurrying, but no longer a frantic run.

Finally, they reached a small clearing, and Rose stopped. “Okay. We’ll wait for them here.”

“Them?” Aiden panted, pulling off his hood.

“My friends,” Rose answered. “I couldn’t have done this alone, after all,” she added with a laugh.

“Okay.” Aiden took a few gasping breaths. “Can you—will you answer my questions?”

“Sure,” Rose said. “Until the others get here.”

Aiden decided to start with the most burning question. “Where _am_ I?”

“Well,” Rose said, “we’re about an hour east of Miro.”

“But where is Miro?” Aiden asked. “What _country_ are we in?”

Rose tilted her head. “Are you sure you want that answer?”

Aiden’s blood ran cold. “I have to get home. Please.”

“You’re a long way from home.”

“I know that Rose, but I have to go home. I have to figure out how to get back, and I can’t do that if I don’t know where I am.”

Rose sighed. “Alright,” she started, but cut off abruptly.

“Rose—”

“Shh,” Rose hushed him.

“Just me Rose.” A boy entered the clearing, and Aiden realized with a start that he was holding a sword.

Rose relaxed. “You’re here fast.”

“I disengaged once Jared sent the wagon up in flames,” the boy explained, digging through his pockets with his spare hand. “We got what we came for, no use continuing to put myself in danger.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Rose said. “You split though?”

“He went back across the river,” the boy explained. He pulled out a cloth and set about wiping down his sword. Aiden really didn’t want to know if it was actually blood now staining the cloth dark. “Better to split up if we were being pursued, and he could snag Will before meeting back up with us. Not much for pursuit though, from what I saw as I left,” he added wryly, holding up his sword and twisting it in the moonlight. Apparently satisfied, he slid it back in its sheath with a soft hissing noise.

“So we can probably expect them soon,” Rose said.

“Very soon,” a new voice rang out.

Rose jumped, while the boy sighed and turned around. “I thought I heard you following me,” he called.

“You scared me Jared!” Rose scolded.

Two more boys entered the clearing, and as the hooded one shook off his hood, Aiden recognized him as the boy who had been with Rose in the bar.

“Don’t worry Rose.” The brown-haired one, likely Jared, grinned. “No pursuit, I promise.” He had a strong accent, but Aiden couldn’t place where it might be from.

Rose sighed. “Alright. We should get going, before Ashe notices we’re gone.”

“I’m sorry, but can _somebody_ please explain to me what the hell is going on here?” Aiden demanded.

“Maddox wanted you,” Jared said. “And we stopped that.”

“But why does he want me? What is going on?” Aiden asked.

“Rose is right,” the first boy cut in. “We should get back to camp. We can explain on the way.”

Aiden still felt uneasy and on edge, but he accepted his current fate. He needed help to get home, and at least these teenagers were hopefully going to answer his questions.

“Come on,” Rose said, leading the way out of the clearing.

As Aiden followed, Jared fell into step next to him. “If you don’t mind me asking my own questions, how did you get free?”

Aiden tilted his head in confusion.

“You aren’t the first we’ve rescued from Maddox and his men,” Jared explained. “And usually they handcuff their prisoners.”

Aiden raised his still-cuffed wrist. There hadn’t been time to pick the second lock, and as long as it wasn’t detrimental, Aiden was willing to put off that task. “Only got halfway there,” he said dryly. “But I just picked the lock.”

“Picked the lock?”

“Just forced it open without the key. I can show you later when I take the other side off. You said those guys were working for, who, Maddox? Who is that?”

“Maddox is—” Jared cut off, whirling around. Aiden started, but Jared was just looking at the last boy who was trailing a few steps behind.

“Will—”

Aiden looked between the two, utterly confused.

After a long pause, Jared sighed, then turned back to Aiden. “Okay. I promise I’ll get to answering that question. But I have a few questions I want to ask first, is that okay?”

“Question for question,” Aiden bargained.

Jared glanced over his shoulder. “Deal. Where are you from?”

Aiden hesitated. “Minnesota. Northern U.S.”

Jared nodded, his gaze flicking quickly to Rose and the first boy murmuring quietly in front of them.

“Where are we?” Aiden asked, then clarified, “Don’t you dare say just outside of Miro, that means nothing to me.”

Jared chuckled. “Ah, I see you got Rose’s reluctance for details. We’re in the Western Kingdom of Astral.”

 _Where the hell is that?_ Aiden wanted to ask, but Jared continued on without hesitation.

“How’d you get here?”

“Do you think I know?” Aiden said dryly.

“Then allow me to clarify,” Jared said. “What’s the last thing you remember, before you came to Astral?”

Aiden bit his lip. “It was winter. I was at a friend’s house, and fell down the hill in his backyard. There was an arch there, and I hopped through a couple times out of curiosity, but nothing happened. And then…” Aiden wracked his brain. “I must have tripped and fell and hit my head,” he said carefully, “and then I woke up not far from Miro, with this in my hand.” He showed Jared the crystal in his palm.

Jared whistled lowly. “Yo, Will,” he called over his shoulder, his voice awed.

“What’s so significant about that?” Aiden asked, closing his fingers around the gem again.

Jared hesitated. “Later question.”

Aiden bit back frustration. “Fine then. Where exactly is Astral? I’ve never heard of it before.”

“That is a surprisingly difficult question.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

“I swear I’m not hedging,” Jared defended himself. “It’s just—wait.” He held up a hand, looking up ahead. Aiden saw the glow of firelight dancing off the branches.

Jared breathed what sounded like a curse. “Ashe is awake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Jared. A slight arsonist after my own heart XD


	8. Chapter 8

Rose had noticed the firelight long before she heard Jared cursing. It gave her enough time to square her shoulders before stepping from the trees into the clearing where they’d made camp.

Ashe was pacing around the fire he’d rebuilt, obviously agitated. He whirled around when he heard Rose. “Do you know exactly how _nerve-wracking_ it is to decide to check on whoever’s on guard duty, only to find _all four of you_ gone?” he demanded.

“Given how often it’s happened, you should be used to it by now,” Rose said, crossing the clearing to crouch by the fire. Winter had passed, but the nights still had a little bite to them.

“That does not excuse it,” Ashe said. “Any of you,” he added, turning to watch the boys as they joined Rose by the fire.

It was a testament to their loyalty to Rose that none of them were remotely cowed by the admonishment, except for the boy they’d rescued, who still looked overwhelmed.

“So you’re saying we should have just left him to Maddox?” Jared challenged, tugging the boy to sit next to him.

“I’m saying you four have a habit of not thinking about the big picture.”

“Actually,” Rose cut in, “this time we were thinking big picture.”

“What?” Ashe turned to her.

Rose looked to Will, silently inviting him to share. Will’s expression was pure _why me?_

Ashe picked up on the look, and swung his gaze to Will. “What have you been keeping from me?”

Will looked down at his lap, hesitating. Jared asked him a question in their native language, and Will shook his head.

 _Well_.

Despite knowing Will for over five years now, his telepathy was always a little jarring. Rose wondered briefly how their newcomer was taking this information, or if Will was even letting him in on this part of the conversation. Judging by his confused look between Ashe and Will, Rose guessed the latter.

_I_ _n my defense, I only realized it today, when we saw him._

“You went looking for him while we were still in Miro?”

“We were in Miro,” Rose defended them. “You know Maddox, he wouldn’t want to stir up any terrible gossip by having his men start up a fight in the middle of town. We were safe to scope things out and try and get him before Maddox could.”

Ashe sighed heavily. Rose figured he was probably thinking about how the four of them had aged him decades just in the past few years.

“So what did you realize when you saw him today?” Ashe asked Will.

 _He’s the one_.

Ashe started. “Are you sure?”

Will gave him a deadpan stare.

“Don’t sass me, you know how important this is Will.”

 _Which is why I wouldn’t lie to you about it._ Will met Ashe’s steely blue gaze steadily.

Ashe sighed heavily again. “So what now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Finn said. “We bring him with us, to the resistance.”

“I’m sorry,” the boy cut in. “I think I’m missing something here, but you,” he gestured at Rose, “promised to help me get home. And I would like it if people would start answering my questions rather than avoiding them.” He glared at Jared.

Jared held up his hands in innocence. “Will told me to wait,” he defended himself. “Something about—”

 _Start with explaining things from the very beginning,_ Will finished. _Starting with—_

He was cut off by Ashe turning to their newcomer with an almost maniacal glint in his eyes.

“Welcome to Astral.”

That man did have a tendency for drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jared, quietly: What the fuck Ashe


	9. Chapter 9

Aiden was trying so hard not to lose his patience, but he was so damn tired of being lost and confused, and every time he felt he was about to start understanding things, _something_ always happened to prevent that.

“I already know that,” he started, unable to keep the annoyance from his voice, “but that doesn’t help me at all because I don’t know where that _is_.”

“Starting with?”

Aiden looked at Jared, but Jared wasn’t speaking to him, instead focusing on the dark-haired boy next to him. After a moment’s pause, Jared nodded.

“I’ll let you take this,” the other boy said, stretching out lazily. “This is more your area of expertise after all.”

“We’ll talk about this elsewhere,” Rose hissed to Ashe, “while Jared explains to him.”

Ashe nodded stiffly and stalked off to one of the tents set up around the fire, Rose following him.

“What am I missing here?” Aiden asked, exasperated.

“Firstly, so I know where to start my explanation,” Jared said. “What do you know about magic and other worlds?”

Aiden blinked, letting out a long breath. _Okay. They might all be crazy. Or else I’m dreaming._ Over Jared’s shoulder, Aiden noticed the dark-haired boy smirking. “I’m sorry, _what_?”

“I’ll take that to mean approximately nothing,” Jared said. “Okay, here’s the short version. There’s hundreds, thousands of other worlds out there, all existing side by side and intertwining. All of them have magic, but not all of them can access it. My guess is, your world is one that can’t.”

“So you’re saying I _somehow_ traveled between worlds, from mine to…”

“Astral,” Jared said. “And yes. That arch you found must have been a door between your world and Astral.”

“But I jumped through it and nothing happened!” Aiden argued. “And there was nothing around when I woke up. Shouldn’t there have been some way back?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Jared admitted. “I know the doorways aren’t open all the time, otherwise you’d hear a lot more about people going to and from your own world. When you tripped, you must have satisfied whatever condition would activate that door.”

“And aren’t some only one-sided?” the other boy chimed in. “There was a merchant who always visited Ilasea in the winter, and he would tell us about how he would travel between worlds.”

“So there’s no way home.” Aiden closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then turned to the boy lounging by the fire. “And what were you saying about taking me with you?”

The boy looked behind Aiden. “Will? You wanna take that?”

Aiden glanced around to see the dark-haired boy shake his head with a smile.

“Oh, now you give me permission to speak freely,” Jared said dryly, “if it gets the pressure off your shoulders.” But he was smiling as he faced Aiden again. “To answer that, I’m going to go back to an earlier question you asked. Maddox is technically the king of Astral.”

“There’s no technically about it,” the other boy interjected.

“Except for the princess,” Jared said.

“Okay,” Aiden interrupted them. “So why does the king want me? I’m just a random kid from another world apparently.”

“Because when Maddox became king, he did it by force,” Jared explained, “by killing the king and queen. Around the same time, there was a prophecy that the only ones capable of defeating him would be the princess who escaped, and one who would come from another world.”

Aiden could see the pieces, started seeing how they fit together. “No. No way.”

Jared gave him a hesitant smile. “Yes?”

And as Aiden looked into his hopeful green eyes, he had a realization.

He was really going to regret not giving James that last kiss he’d asked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is where we'll end this bit, otherwise I'd never be finished with this story until I finish Astral XD (and to give you an idea how long that might take, I started Astral in 2015...)  
> But anywho, thanks for reading, and I hope y'all enjoyed this little snippet of Astral :)


End file.
